BY: BRIAN COURTRIGHT, JASMINE JACOB, KATHLEEN PRILUTSKI, AND GABRIEL ROSENWALD STUDY PERFORMANCE OF AA CELLS

Disposable cameras use AA batteries to power the flash and other functions. We studied the endurance of these batteries by completing a lab in which we hooked up a battery to a multimeter and a breadboard connected to four parallel resistors. A voltage was recorded every five minutes for thirty-five minutes. In this lab it was found that a AA battery can be reused up to nine times using twenty-seven flashes. We found this by calculating the capacity by multiplying the average discharge current value by the time required to reach terminal voltage. We then compared this to the capacity of just one flash cycle. Recycling the battery nine times certainly cuts down cost of these cameras and definitely helps in reducing waste.

DATA OF AA CELLS AA cell used: Alkaline Resistors used (Ω): 4 Initial Voltage (V) without load: 1.63 V Final Voltage (V) without load: 1.278V Measured Resistance Ω (of resistive load): 1.1 Ω

DATA COLLECTED FROM AA CELL Time (min)Voltage (V)Current (A)Power (W)

CAPACITY OF TESTED AA CELL Determine the estimated capacity of tested AA cell by multiplying the average current through resistive load and time taken to achieve the terminal voltage. Express your results in Ampere-Hour Ampere*(35min/60 min)*1hour= Ampere-Hour This results in charges per one flash. By using the knowledge that it takes Ampere*Hour during one flash charge cycle.